Currently, automobiles and other vehicles are equipped with safety devices designed to protect the vehicle driver and passengers from injury in the event that the vehicle undergoes a crash. Such equipment includes impact absorbing material mounted to the interior of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. This impact absorbing material is positioned around the A-pillar, B-pillar, rear pillar and roof panel of the vehicle and is designed to absorb the impact of a vehicle occupant's head during a vehicle crash. The Federal Government has set specific requirements on the allowable impact energy which this equipment must be designed to absorb.
While this equipment has provided adequate impact absorption when positioned on planar surfaces, it has failed to address a variety of positioning concerns particularly with respect to being mounted on discontinuous surfaces such as that associated with weld access holes, lap joints or uneven surfaces. Specifically, with regard to foam, the equipment lacks structural rigidity and must, instead, rely on a rigid surface for support. As a result, this material is unable to, by itself, bridge discontinuous surfaces and still provide structural support for impact absorption.
In addition, conventional impact absorption equipment is difficult, or impossible, to install onto open and exposed surfaces during assembly. Specifically, with regard to foams, they must be injected into assembled equipment, using the walls of the enclosed space formed by the assembled components for support.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide impact absorbing equipment which provides for both ease of attachment and the ability to bridge discontinuous surfaces.